Uganda says kidnapped American tourist did not take armed guard

Kimberley Sue Endecott was kidnapped along with her driver by four gunmen from Uganda's popular Queen Elizabeth National Park. Serena Chaudhry reports.

Trump retreats from Mexico border closing, threatens car tariffs instead

President Donald Trump on Thursday retreated from his threat to close the US-Mexican border, warning he will instead impose car import tariffs if the major US trading partner does not do more to stop undocumented migrants and drug smugglers. "If Mexico doesn't give the help, that's OK, we're going to tariff their cars," Trump said at the White House. Trump said he was giving Mexico one year to get the cross-border drug trade down or see him impose tariffs at 25 percent.

The Latest: Boeing stock rise despite preliminary report

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on the reactions to the preliminary report issued by the Ethiopian government on the March 10 crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 jet shortly after takeoff which killed all 157 people on board. (all times local):

Jussie Smollett, Chicago officials face off in nasty legal battle over civil fine

Jussie Smollett's pugnacious lawyer, Mark Geragos, told Chicago officials to prepare for legal battle over city's demand for $130,000 fine for hate-crime investigation.

Michael Cohen says Trump used 'code' language to coach him to lie to Congress

Public letter recaps testimony to Trump-Russia investigations detailing president’s alleged attempts to conceal links with RussiaMichael Cohen testifies before the House oversight committee on 27 February 2019. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesDonald Trump used “code” language to coach his former top aide, Michael Cohen, on how to lie to Congress about Trump projects in Moscow, Cohen told lawmakers in a public letter on Friday.The letter recapped testimony Cohen had made to the special counsel Robert Mueller and two congressional committees, according to Cohen’s lawyers. They called the letter the first detailed accounting of Cohen’s sworn testimony about alleged crimes committed by Trump.“Trump and his [White House] advisors encouraged Cohen to lie and say all Moscow Tower project contacts ended as of January 31, 2017,” when in fact the projects were alive at least six months later, the letter said.Sign up for the US morning briefing“Trump did so using ‘code’ language – telling Cohen during various conversations that there was ‘no collusion, no Russian contacts, nothing about Russia’ after the start of the campaign,” it added.Trump has declared himself vindicated of all charges of wrongdoing since the release last month by the attorney general, William Barr, of a letter summarizing the findings of Mueller’s investigation of Russian election tampering and potential obstruction of justice by Trump.But since then each day seems to bring further signs that Barr’s four-page letter did not tell the whole story of the Mueller report – or even come close to it.Sources close to members of Mueller’s team have told reporters in recent days that Barr’s summary was incomplete or misleading. One source told the Washington Post that investigators had built an obstruction-of-justice case against Trump that “was much more acute than Barr suggested”.Trump’s allegedly directing Cohen to make false statements to Congress, a crime Cohen admitted to in a guilty plea last November, could itself amount to criminal conduct. But what Mueller made of the charge will remain unclear so long as his report is sealed.Barr, a Trump appointee who had previously written that Mueller’s investigation of Trump for alleged obstruction of justice was “fatally misconceived”, wrote in his summary of the Mueller report that “the evidence developed during the special counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”But Cohen’s memo released on Friday seemed likely to feed doubts about that decision. According to a description of Cohen’s sworn testimony released by his lawyers, “Cohen testified that he and Trump both knew that Cohen’s contacts with Russia continued for months” later than a date provided by Cohen to Congress.“Cohen also testified in 2019 that he was given that false ‘party line’ by Mr. Trump and his advisors,” the memo says.The memo also paints behind-the-scenes moments that portray Trump as fully aware of efforts by Donald Trump Jr to meet with Russian operatives to obtain “dirt” on Hillary Clinton and other Russia contacts.“Early in June 2016, Cohen testified that he was in Trump’s office,” the memo reads. “He saw Don Jr. walk around the desk (unusual to do so) to lean over to tell his father quietly: ‘the meeting is on.’ Trump did not ask, ‘what meeting?’ Cohen heard Trump say, ‘That’s good … let me know.’”Trump publicly denied foreknowledge of a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Trump Jr and Kremlin-linked Russian nationals.However, having admitted to lying under oath to Congress, Cohen and his credibility have been compromised. The spat between him and Trump, whom Cohen served as a loyal lieutenant for a decade, has taken on a personal edge.Trump has said that efforts to reveal the Mueller report, the release of which Congress supported by unanimous resolution, amounted to a “witch-hunt”.“According to polling, few people seem to care about the Russian Collusion Hoax, but some Democrats are fighting hard to keep the Witch Hunt alive,” Trump tweeted on Thursday. “They should focus on legislation or, even better, an investigation of how the ridiculous Collusion Delusion got started – so illegal!”

Bezos ex-wife to surrender 75% of couple's Amazon shares

MacKenzie Bezos, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced Thursday they had finalized their divorce, and that she would surrender 75 percent of the couple's shares in the tech giant. MacKenzie Bezos also said she would give all of her stake in The Washington Post and the space exploration firm Blue Origin to her ex-husband -- the world's richest man -- as well as voting control of her remaining Amazon shares. In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Amazon said MacKenzie Bezos now controls four percent of the company's outstanding common stock.

Boeing CEO accepts blame for two plane crashes, apologizes to families of victims: 'We own it'

The chairman of Boeing acknowledged for the first time that its new maneuvering system was responsible for two recent plane crashes that killed almost 350 people and apologized to the families and friends of the victims.

Istanbul mayoral candidate confident of win after recount

ISTANBUL (AP) — The opposition party's mayoral candidate in Istanbul said Thursday's he's confident that the result of a recount of votes in the city will confirm his victory, and renewed an appeal to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to help end the standoff.

AOC and the cast of 'Queer Eye' hung out on Capitol Hill

Four members of the Queer Eye cast (we missed you, Karamo) were on Capitol Hill this week to promote the Equality Act. Of course, they still squeezed in some time to hang out with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Photos of AOC and Jonathan Van Ness strolling breezily through the halls of Congress started circulating Thursday afternoon. The internet loved it, which is unsurprising. Come on: AOC + Queer Eye? JVN and AOC both wearing pink? It is a situation tailor-made for Twitter screaming.> View this post on Instagram> > Talking policy with @ocasio2018 equalityact> > A post shared by Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) on Apr 4, 2019 at 9:27am PDTSEE ALSO: The 'Queer Eye' guys answering rapid fire questions is hilariously chaoticNancy Pelosi joined the group shortly after, and everyone posed for a photo. The pic, which is extremely good, features a stunning array of pink and red apparel, a slightly uncomfortable looking Tan France (semi-related: you simply must watch the Queer Eye installment of Pitchfork's "Over/Under"), and Bobby's phone case, which says "BOBBY."> .@QueerEye: feel free to let us know when you want @RepAOC & me to fill in next. Fab5 pic.twitter.com/THjnPSCFcR> > -- Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 4, 2019"Feel free to let us know when you want [AOC] and me to fill in next," Pelosi captioned the pic. The crew later went outside to converse on the Speaker's balcony, according to a Congressional staffer. Is a mini-episode in the works?UPDATE: April 4, 2019, 2:19 p.m. ET: The tweets keep rolling in.> Thank you all for visiting me! You made my work day QueerEye https://t.co/dWNEMJUXh3> > -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 4, 2019> We have the most diverse American congress ever, I'm lifted up in seeing that a United States that values Equality & protection for all is currently fighting for that. We're making it rain pantsuits & equality in 2020. pic.twitter.com/k7J2cCpXep> > -- Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) April 4, 2019 WATCH: The cast of 'Queer Eye' gives us their take on millennial trends

Fight begins over Trump's taxes, lawyer slams Democrats' request

In a statement that mapped out the legal battlefield ahead, William Consovoy said the request, formally filed on Wednesday by U.S. House of Representatives tax committee Chairman Richard Neal, flouts "constitutional constraints." "The requests for his private tax information are not consistent with governing law, do not advance any proper legislative purpose, and threaten to interfere with the ordinary conduct of audits," Consovoy said. One of the many investigations targeting Trump on Capitol Hill and in the U.S. court system, the House Democrat's probe into the president's tax returns could pull back the curtain on his business empire and his reputation as a savvy dealmaker. Unlike previous presidents over recent decades, Trump has refused to make public past tax returns, while retaining ownership in many enterprises, ranging from golf courses and hotels to Trump Tower in New York City and his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida.

Biden Jokes About Consensual Hugging in First Speech Since Creepy Touching Allegations

APIn his first public remarks since more than half a dozen women accused him of inappropriately touching them, former Vice President Joe Biden warned a raucous crowd of union workers in Washington, D.C., that their warm reception “may go to my head!”A few moments later, Biden proved himself right.Less than one minute into his speech before the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Biden joked that “I just want you to know, I had permission to hug Lonnie,” referring to union president Lonnie R. Stephenson, and making light of charges made by seven women that he touched, hugged, kissed and physically handled them in ways that made them uncomfortable.The audience of union workers, nearly entirely male, reacted to the joke with hoots, cheers, and whistles.“I don’t know, man,” Biden continued over the laughter. “Anyway.”The former vice president then continued with his address, making no further mention of the allegations against him until making another joke, this time after having approached the children of some union workers who had assembled on the podium and wrapping his arm around the neck of the boy closest to him.“By the way, he gave me permission to touch him,” Biden said, to further applause.Speaking to reporters after the speech’s conclusion, Biden said that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if other women came forward with allegations that he crossed a line in touching, caressing or kissing them, but suggested that the onus was on the women to make it clear before he touched them.“It is important that I and every one else is aware that any woman or man who feels uncomfortable, should have the right to say ‘I’m uncomfortable with that’ or hopefully get to the point before and say ‘I’m uncomfortable with that, no matter what.’ I really do understand it.”Biden also denied that he had joked about the issue of consensual touching in his speech.“I wasn’t joking,” Biden said. “The president of the union put his arms around me. That’s how it’s always been. That’s how people react.”Asked if he felt that he owed the women an apology, Biden initially dodged the question before allowing that while he was “sorry I didn’t understand, I’m not sorry for any of my intentions. I’m not sorry for anything I’ve done.”Biden’s decision to make mockery of the issue of consensual physical contact on the campaign trail—sparked by former Democratic candidate for Nevada lieutenant governor Lucy Flores, who wrote about an alleged incident in a piece for New York Magazine’s “The Cut”—is a departure from a video he released hastily on Thursday, in which he offered qualified contrition for making any women feel uncomfortable.“In my career I’ve always tried to make a human connection, that’s my responsibility,” Biden said in the video. “Whether they’re men, women, young, old—it’s the way I've always been. It’s the way I try to show I care about them and I’m listening... It’s just who I am.”Flores, of course, was not impressed with Biden’s comments Friday, tweeting: “It’s clear @JoeBiden hasn’t reflected at all on how his inappropriate and unsolicited touching made women feel uncomfortable. To make light of something as serious as consent degrades the conversation women everywhere are courageously trying to have.” Asked by The Daily Beast if this helped solidify her rationale for coming forward, Flores said: “Yes. Until his type of inappropriate behavior, which to be clear, isn’t friendly hugs, is taken seriously, women will continue to feel disempowered to speak out against inappropriate behavior.”Biden, who is approaching a potential third run for the Democratic presidential nomination, acknowledged in the video that “social norms” have changed, and that he would be more “mindful” in the future. “They’ve shifted, and the boundaries in protecting personal space have been reset. And I get it,” Biden said. “I’ll be much more mindful and will respect it.”Biden has styled himself as a champion for women’s rights, pointing to his authorship of the Violence Against Women Act, but skeptics have pointed to the charges against him, as well as his mishandling of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings, as evidence that he does not adequately understand the post-MeToo political climate.“As human beings, we all make mistakes,” said Sukari Hardnett, who Biden refused to allow to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Anita Hill, who in 1991 accused Thomas of sexual harassment. “But what’s critical is that we learn from those mistakes.”The former vice president’s nascent presidential campaign has struggled to shake the allegations, in part because there is no official campaign organization to do so. On Thursday, The Daily Beast reported that some of Biden’s advisers have become convinced that the stories of women having been made to feel physically uncomfortable around the former vice president as “all coming out of Bernie World,” insinuating that Flores’ allegations were made to support the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).Sanders’ campaign fervently denied that implication.“Neither the Bernie Sanders campaign nor anyone involved in it, planted, planned, persuaded, cajoled or otherwise urged Lucy Flores or anyone else to tell their story. Full stop, period, end of sentence. I don’t want to hear it. We didn’t play a role,” Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir told The Daily Beast.—With reporting by Gideon Resnick.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

Saudi Arabia arrests activists supporting women's rights, including 2 US citizens

Those arrested are writers and advocates who quietly supported greater social reforms and most had ties to a group of women’s rights activists currently on trial.

Hundreds gather near White House to demand Mueller report release

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who received the confidential report last month at the close of Mueller's 22-month investigation, has said he intended to release a redacted version to Congress and the public by mid-April.

Ethiopian Airlines: Pilots followed Boeing emergency procedures but could not stop plane going down, report says

Pilots of an airliner that crashed last month in Ethiopia initially followed Boeing's emergency steps for dealing with a sudden downturn of the nose of their plane but could not regain control, according to a published report. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that pilots of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max turned off a flight-control system but still couldn't get the plane to climb. They turned the system back on and tried other actions before the plane crashed, the paper said, citing people familiar with preliminary findings of the crash investigation. The findings were confirmed by Ethiopia Airlines on Thursday. In a statement, Boeing urged against speculating before the preliminary report and flight data from the plane are released. The Journal says the pilots' actions are still being evaluated by investigators but could raise questions about assertions made by Boeing and US regulators in the aftermath of another Max crash in October that pilots could regain control simply by following steps to turn off a specific anti-stall system. Flight ET302's final moments in the air Investigators are examining the crashes that killed all 346 aboard the 737 Max 8 jets operated by Indonesia's Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, including the role of a flight-control system called MCAS, which under some circumstances could automatically turn the plane's nose down to prevent an aerodynamic stall. The Journal reported that data downloaded from the plane's black boxes indicates that the Ethiopian Airlines pilots followed recommendations to flip two switches that disconnected the system, but the plane kept sinking. They turned a manual wheel that adjusts the plane's tail, and used electric switches in an effort to climb, but that reactivated MCAS, which continued to push the plane's nose lower. Ethiopian investigators are expected to release their preliminary findings in the next few days. Boeing is the focus of investigations by the Justice Department, the Transportation Department's inspector general, and congressional committees. Investigations are also looking at the role of the Federal Aviation Administration, which certified the Max in 2017 and declined to ground it after the first deadly crash in October.  Sign up for your essential, twice-daily briefing from The Telegraph with our free Front Page newsletter.

Why the IRS Should Pay People Even More in Their Tax Refunds

The IRS does not pay interest to people who overpay their taxes. Here's why that should change.

UN council to meet on Libya as Haftar's forces advance

The UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors on Friday to discuss the situation in Libya after the leader of eastern forces in the war-scarred north African country ordered his troops to advance on Tripoli. Britain requested the urgent meeting on Thursday, diplomats said, following the order from Khalifa Haftar, a key player opposed to the government in the capital. The spike in tensions came as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was making his first visit as UN chief to Libya ahead of a planned conference later this month aimed at charting a course toward elections.

Joe Biden vows to be 'more mindful' on same day as three more women make accusations

Former Vice President Joe Biden released a video on Twitter addressing the allegations of unwanted and inappropriate behavior.

UK finance minister sees deal with Labour on Brexit

Talks between the British government and the main opposition Labour party aimed at breaking the deadlock over Brexit continue, finance minister Philip Hammond said on Saturday, adding he expected to reach "some form of agreement."

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2OS8bNU

25 Years Later, Rwanda Grapples With Legacy of Genocide and Questions of Blame

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James Harden, on Relatively Leisurely Night, Leads Rockets Past Knicks

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Putting the Michigan in Michigan State

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Bruce Pearl at Auburn: Rebirth of a Salesman

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‘Rocky’ Has a Statue in Philadelphia. Now the ‘Real Rocky’ Will Get One in Jersey.

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The Week in Arts: The Criterion Channel, Charlotte Gainsbourg and ‘Queens of Mystery’

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What’s on TV Saturday: ‘Native Son’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’

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New U.S. Sanctions Seek to Block Venezuelan Oil Shipments to Cuba

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Quotation of the Day: Waiting for Asylum in the United States, Migrants Live in Fear in Mexico

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://nyti.ms/2YRBCnY

Women’s Final Four: Notre Dame Knocks UConn Out Again

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Blue Jackets Clinch Final Playoff Spot With Win Against Rangers

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ANA Inspiration: In-Kyung Kim Takes Lead 7 Years After a 1-Foot Miss

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Baylor Women Survive a Battle with Oregon to Reach the Title Game

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Corrections: April 6, 2019

By Unknown Author from NYT Corrections https://nyti.ms/2IgcKQS

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fortnite

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Trump Chooses No Choice

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Yisroel Avrohom Portugal, Revered Orthodox Rabbi, Dies at 95

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Trump news – live: President attacks another dead Republican icon as Biden hits back over bizarre video tweet

Donald Trump has attacked the late former first lady Barbara Bush in a newspaper interview a day after posting a satirical alt-right meme of ex-vice-president Joe Biden on Twitter.“I see that you are on the job and presidential, as always,” Mr Biden responded witheringly to the tweet, which sits pinned to the top of the president’s Twitter profile. The video in question sends up Mr Biden’s apology after he was accused of inappropriate conduct towards female campaign staff and was circulated by Donald Trump Jr earlier on Thursday.Mr Trump is due in Calexico, California, on Friday to inspect construction work on his US-Mexico wall after rowing back on his threat to close the border, the trip providing a timely change of focus for the president after thousands of protesters campaigned outside the White House and in New York’s Times Square to demand the release of the Mueller report in full.Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Court Ruling Implies That Barr Must Redact Grand-Jury Info from Mueller Report

In disclosing the Mueller report, Attorney General William P. Barr will have to redact grand-jury information. That is the upshot of the ruling today by a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.I flagged this case, now called McKeever v. Barr (formerly McKeever v. Sessions), last week. It did not arise out of the Mueller investigation, but it obviously has significant ramifications for the Mueller report -- in particular, how much of it we will get to see.At issue was this question: Does a federal court have the authority to order disclosure of grand-jury materials if the judge decides that the interests of justice warrant doing so; or is the judge limited to the exceptions to grand-jury secrecy that are spelled out in Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure? The D.C. Circuit’s McKeever ruling holds that the text of Rule 6(e) controls. Consequently, judges have no authority to authorize disclosure outside the rule.This is significant for the Mueller report because Rule 6(e) does not contain an exception to secrecy that would permit disclosure to Congress.The case involves a writer, Stuart McKeever, who was researching a book on the disappearance of Columbia University professor Jesús de Galíndez Suárez in 1956. It was suspected that Galíndez, a very public critic of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, was kidnapped and flown to the D.R., where he was murdered. In the course of a federal investigation, suspicion fell on John Joseph Frank, a former FBI agent and CIA lawyer, who later worked for Trujillo. Frank was eventually prosecuted for failing to register as a foreign agent but never charged with any involvement in Galíndez’s murder.In 2013, for purposes of his research, McKeever petitioned the court for release of records of the grand-jury proceedings that led to Frank’s 1957 indictment. There is nothing in Rule 6(e) that would permit the veil of grand-jury secrecy to be pierced for an academic or literary research project. Yet the district judge asserted that federal courts have “inherent supervisory power” to disclose grand-jury materials, including those that are “historically significant.” Ultimately, however, the judge denied the petition, reasoning that it was “overbroad.”McKeever appealed. In opposition, the Justice Department argued not only that he should be denied the grand-jury records, but also that the lower court had been wrong to claim authority to disclose the materials outside the strictures of Rule 6(e). The three-judge panel agreed with the Justice Department, in an opinion written by Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg (now a senior judge, appointed by President Reagan) and joined by Judge Gregory Katsas (appointed by President Trump). Judge Sri Srinivasan (appointed by President Obama) dissented.The majority explained that the Supreme Court has long recognized the vital purposes served by grand-jury secrecy, and thus that secrecy must be protected unless there is some clear contrary indication in a statute or rule. Disclosure is the exception, not the rule.In Rule 6(e), Congress has prescribed grand-jury secrecy and its exceptions. Those who contend that a court may permit disclosure outside the rule argue that judges had such authority before the rule was enacted. The panel majority, however, emphasized the rule’s sweeping language: Officials must refrain from disclosure “unless these rules provide otherwise.” The rule also takes pains to spell out the situations in which a judge may authorize disclosure. Plainly, the intent of the rule was to limit disclosure; were an unwritten judicial power to ignore the limitations recognized, the rule would be pointless.The exceptions enumerated in the rule permit judges to authorize disclosure, to federal and certain non-federal officials, in order to aid in the enforcement of criminal laws. Clearly, it would be easy to conjure other worthy exceptions. Nevertheless, the panel majority observed, the Supreme Court has stressed that “not every beneficial purpose, or even every valid governmental purpose, is an appropriate reason for breaching grand jury secrecy.”The panel rejected the claim that the D.C. Circuit’s decision in a Watergate era case, Haldeman v. Sirica (1974), permits disclosure outside the rule. This is salient for purposes of the Mueller report because Haldeman involved an order by the district court (Judge John Sirica) permitting transmission of a sealed grand-jury report to the House Judiciary Committee, which was then considering possible grounds to impeach President Nixon.In his dissent, Judge Srinivasan maintained that Haldeman should control. Judges Ginsburg and Katsas disagreed, relating that the lower and appellate courts in Haldeman failed to conduct any “meaningful analysis of Rule 6(e)’s terms”; they merely offered policy arguments in favor of disclosure -- with Sirica, for example, suggesting that disclosure to the House of Representatives was analogous to disclosure to another grand jury (the rule allows the latter). Moreover, Haldeman was distinguishable, the majority reasoned, because the disclosure of the grand-jury report was technically done within the context of the criminal case against H. R. Haldeman and his co-defendant, Gordon Strachan; that is, it was not a direct transmission to the House.(For what it’s worth, I believe Haldeman is distinguishable for an additional reason: The grand jury in that case was operating under a statute that permitted it to file a report, as distinguished from an indictment, which the grand jury itself recommended be transmitted to the House. I described such reports nearly two years ago, when we first learned that Mueller had convened a grand jury; and Kim Strassel had an excellent Twitter thread about them earlier this week, specifically addressing Haldeman. Such grand-jury reports are very different from what is at issue in the Mueller report. The latter is a prosecutor’s report based, in part, on grand-jury evidence; there are no grand-jury findings or recommendations that its proceedings be transmitted to Congress; and Democrats are asking for all the grand-jury information, with no view expressed by the grand jury or the witnesses who would be affected. The panel majority, however, did not address these differences -- no doubt because the Mueller report was not under consideration in the McKeever case.)It is foreseeable that McKeever could be further appealed, to the full D.C. Circuit (an en banc review) and to the Supreme Court. Not only was the panel divided, but there is a split in the circuits -- which the panel majority acknowledges, discussing the relevant cases at the conclusion of its opinion. For now, however, McKeever is the law in the D.C. Circuit, where the Mueller investigation took place. Naturally, the Justice Department must follow it -- and it is, again, an affirmation of the Justice Department’s position on the law.This means Attorney General Barr must redact grand-jury material from the Mueller report before disclosing it to Congress. Democrats will complain long and loud about this, but I don’t see how Barr can be reasonably faulted for following the law. Congress, after all, has the power to legislate an amendment to Rule 6(e) that would permit disclosure of grand-jury materials from a special counsel investigation to appropriate congressional committees.

How a Russian S-400 Could Shoot Down an F-35 (Thanks to Turkey)

Russian and American technology don't mix.

Boeing Takes Full Responsibility For Two Plane Crashes That Killed 360 People

Boeing's CEO apologized for the two incidents and says a software update is imminent.

'He gave me permission': Joe Biden jokes about touching complaints

Former vice-president’s comments came during first public appearance since allegations from at least seven women surfacedJoe Biden has twice made joking references to complaints from women that his physical behavior made them uncomfortable.The former vice-president’s comments on Friday came during his first public appearance since the allegations began to surface last week.Taking the stage in Washington at a gathering of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Biden was introduced by the president of the union, Lonnie Stephenson.Biden quipped: “I just want you to know – I had permission to hug Lonnie.”The crowd, which was mostly male, erupted in laughter. Later, Biden made a similar joke after inviting a group of children onstage and putting his arm round a young boy.“By the way, he gave me permission to touch him,” the former vice-president said, again to laughter.“Everybody knows I like kids more than people,” Biden said.Sign up for the US morning briefing Biden, who is widely expected to enter the 2020 presidential race, has faced allegations from at least seven women that they were troubled by physical interactions with him.Although he has not been accused of sexual assault or harassment, the women have said they felt Biden violated their personal space.On Wednesday, Biden pledged in a video to change his behavior.“Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying,” Biden said. “Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful of personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it.”Speaking to reporters after Friday’s event, Biden was asked if he would apologize to the women directly.“I’m sorry I didn’t understand,” he said. “I’m not sorry for any of my intentions.”He added: “I literally think it is incumbent upon me and I think everybody else to make sure that if you embrace someone, if you touch someone, it’s with their consent, regardless of your intention.”The controversy began when Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state assemblywoman, alleged Biden put his hands on her shoulders, leaned in to smell her hair and kissed the back of her head at a political event in November 2014.Other women have shared similar accounts. Several prominent Democratic women have come to Biden’s defense, suggesting such behavior is part of his affectionate demeanor.Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 17 women, has sought to weaponize the issue.The president posted a derisive tweet featuring Biden’s apology video doctored to include an image of the former vice-president creeping up behind himself and grabbing his own shoulders.“WELCOME BACK JOE!” Trump tweeted.Biden hit back, tweeting: “I see that you are on the job and presidential.”

Suddenly, Republicans Don’t Care About How Mueller Spent His Money

Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyIn the early months of 2019, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation headed to a close, congressional Republicans were just as interested in how much it cost to fund his probe as they were in what it actually found.By March, Republicans on Capitol Hill were decrying how long the investigation had dragged on, frequently pointing out the amount of taxpayer dollars—reportedly some $25 million—that went toward funding it. They made clear they expected the special counsel to provide a comprehensive accounting of how much he spent and why—and also made clear that getting those answers would be a priority for the GOP.In a statement on March 22, the day Mueller submitted his report to the Department of Justice, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the House’s No. 2 Republican, said he expected Attorney General William Barr to brief lawmakers on how much it cost Mueller to “bully people” during his “meandering” investigation.   But since Barr released his own summary of Mueller’s findings—which are said to state that Trump did not collude with Russia (by the legal standard) and left the attorney general to decide on dicier accusations that he obstructed the investigation—most Republicans have grown agnostic if not downright quiet in their quest to find out the taxpayer burden of the Russiagate probe, choosing instead to take a victory lap over Trump’s self-described “exoneration” and urging Democrats to move on.Asked on Wednesday if he wanted to learn more about the price tag of the special counsel probe, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, sidestepped the question, instead launching into a defense of Barr. A senior member of the committee, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), shrugged at the same question.“It isn’t my priority,” Buck told The Daily Beast. “Finding the truth is important, and it was an important subject.”And a close ally of the president, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), told The Daily Beast that while accountability is a good thing, “as we look at it, I think there are bigger concerns of transparency” than the cost of the investigation.The cost of Mueller’s operation was not historically high compared to other high-profile investigations. And for that reason, Republicans were often criticized for using the issue as a diversion to paint the special counsel’s office as a burden to taxpayers. Their willingness to now drop that argument suggests that their concerns with the price tag weren’t all that severe. It also reflects the degree to which GOP lawmakers have weaponized the concept of transparency when engaging Democrats on the Mueller probe. Now, instead of having a debate over the cost of the investigation, lawmakers are grappling with another transparency concern: whether Mueller’s findings will ever be made public.Barr has said that he would deliver a redacted version of the report to lawmakers as soon as mid-April. But House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) already gave him a deadline of April 2 to hand it over and Democrats remain far from satisfied with what they know about the special counsel’s findings. With Nadler’s deadline in the rearview, the Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on Wednesday to authorize the committee chairman to issue a subpoena for Mueller’s full, roughly 400-page report from the Department of Justice, along with the thousands of pages of evidence Mueller likely collected during his two-year investigation. Once more, Republicans found themselves taking a more nuanced approach towards Mueller-related transparency. All but four House Republican had joined every House Democrat in supporting a resolution last month—before the investigation wrapped—calling on the Department of Justice to make Mueller’s full report public. But on Wednesday, committee Republicans objected to Nadler’s request, chiefly citing a process concern: that forcing Barr to release the entire report without redactions would run him afoul of existing legal protections for materials obtained through a grand jury, which accounts for some chunk of the special counsel’s evidence.House Republicans didn’t see anything in their current stance that conflicts with that call for the report to be made public. “We understood we were talking about an appropriate version that’s redacted, pursuant to law, and there’s some statutory and regulatory provisions that apply to that,” said Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) of last month’s vote.“The better question is,” posited Collins, “to ask the Democrats how they square their votes.”But Democrats countered that the subpoena does not force Barr to break the law, and insisted the public should have as much of the Mueller report as possible. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a Judiciary Committee member, suggested that Republicans are interested in blocking the release of further information because Barr’s initial summary was a PR win for them.“Our fear is that the report did not come out favorably to them, but that it has been cast that way by the attorney general,” Raskin told The Daily Beast. “We have no idea.”President Trump—who recently said that all of Mueller’s report should be released—has backed away from that call and spent this week attacking Democrats’ efforts to obtain more information. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denounced the “sore losers” for trying to keep the Mueller report alive. That shift in tone has trickled down to at least one Trump ally on Capitol Hill. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told CNN on Wednesday he wasn’t even interested in seeing much more from Mueller."I want Barr to come before the committee,” said Graham, “to present the report minus grand jury information, minus classified information. I don't need to look at a million documents."Hours after Graham’s appearance, The New York Times reported that members of Mueller’s own team felt that Barr’s four-page summary of their work had downplayed the severity of the conclusions they’d drawn about Russia’s interference in Trump’s 2016 election. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

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